


Idiot in love

by MagicClem



Category: Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: Benji centric, Benji is a smart guy except when he isn't, Multi, Not Beta Read, Pining, Polyamory, and summaries, but it's really cute i swear, i honestly don't know why I wrote this, i'm so bad at title, sorry about that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-24 09:59:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16172786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicClem/pseuds/MagicClem
Summary: Benji's love life has always been a mess but somehow, it gets messier.





	Idiot in love

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so this is my first work for this fandom. Honestly, I don't understand why this ship isn't more popular because it's great and spies don't have time to be straight or monogamous. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this (and thanks AnnabethBarnes for convincing me to post it, you're the best <3)

Benjamin Dunn could be accused of many things, he was far from perfect after all. He is an anxious mess most of the time, he is barely able to have a normal conversation about anything if he is not at least a little comfortable with the person he is talking to (except when it's computer related, he can talk about computer related thing in his sleep), he is a great liar, he would betray his country without a second thought if Ethan Hunt was the one asking him, he loves video games too much and would play anywhere, especially if it is somewhere he shouldn’t and probably many other things, Benji Dunn doesn’t have the time to make a complete list of all his flaws. But there is one thing that Benji is not : he isn’t stupid. He is smart, any kind of smart, book smart, computer smart but also, Benji is very capable of analysing his own feelings thank you very much.  However, the fact that he knows how he feels doesn't mean he knows how to deal with said feelings.

Benji always had a crush on Ethan Hunt because frankly who doesn’t? Benji had a crush on him before he even met him. The thing about Ethan Hunt is that he is a freaking _legend_ in the IMF. Everyone knows about Ethan and about all the crazy stuffs he did, hell, during his training, they worked on that one time when Ethan broke into the CIA and stole a Very Important list of agents. Of course, you would expect a guy like that to be ugly or something, but no, of course not, because Benji had seen a picture and the guy is anything but ugly. Or, you would expect him to be an arrogant asshole because well, with this reputation, you are allowed to be an arrogant prick. But no, Ethan is not like that, as he finds out eventually.

The first time Benji meets Ethan Hunt, he is talking with some technician named Todd that Benji hates because Todd is a moron and Ethan Hunt looks like he is trying very very hard to not murder him. To be fair, if anyone killed Todd and Benji witnessed it, he would deny seeing anything because Todd is the fucking worst. When Ethan notices the new person in the room, he immediately goes to him and asks, very politely with the voice of someone who is out of patience, if he can get some informations from that flash drive because it’s very important and he doesn’t have all day and all Benji can says is « well, Todd sure can’t because Todd is a moron ». And sure, that’s mean but the smile on Ethan’s face says « tell me about it » and Benji’s heart skips a beat and he can feel that he is blushing. So, Benji pushes Todd away and gets the informations Ethan needs in less than an hour and he would probably have been quicker if it wasn’t for Todd’s stupidity. And before he leaves, Ethan asks Benji his name and Benji barely manages to say it and then, Ethan introduces himself as if he was not the most famous IMF agent and then, he goes back to whatever he was doing before that. But the next time he needs a technician, Ethan Hunt goes immediately to him. 

Benji would describe Ethan as a friend from work. The kind of friend he has a massive and embarrassing crush on but hey, still a friend and Benji doesn’t have many of them because apparently, he is a little arrogant and « hard to life with ». Whatever, Benji doesn’t care. Well, maybe a does, a little. Benji doesn’t even think Ethan sees him as anything but a useful tech guy until that day when he calls him from China because he needs his help for something super important, nothing unusual until Benji finds out that Ethan called him to help him find his _wife_ and Benji realises that maybe, Ethan trusts him a little bit more than what he thought, because he would never call some random tech guy for that. And sure, Benji didn’t know that Ethan was married and maybe it’s a little bit disappointing but it’s fine because Julia is amazing and it’s not like he is planing on acting on his stupid crush on Ethan anyway. 

They become good friends from there, especially after Moscou. Benji expects that his crush will disappear when they become friends but it’s the exact opposite, his feelings are stronger with time, because Ethan is nothing like Benji expected, behind the deadly facade of an IMF agent, Ethan is caring and brave and too self sacrificing for his own good. Ethan is the kind of men who knows his own legendary status in the IMF and still tries to remember everyone name and make them feel like they are special. Ethan is the kind of men who would let the woman he loves go because he knows he is not good for her, even if it breaks his heart. Ethan is the kind of men who says cheesy stuff like "mission accomplished" when a mission is over and it's corny but Benji thinks it's cute. Ethan is the kind of men you don't see in this kind of job, especially in someone like Ethan who has been there for so long, Ethan will fight for everyone and for his team and cares so much, there is no trace of cynicism in Ethan Hunt, he believes that people are good despite the fact that he has seen how ugly people can be and Benji admires this quality. Ethan is a good man and it's rare in this business. And it’s so embarrassing, because by the time Ethan goes rogue to hunt the Syndicate, Ethan is Benji’s best friend and Benji is in love with him, because that’s not cliché at all.

When Benji receives the tickets for the Opera, parts of him knows it’s Ethan but still, he feigns ignorance because it’s easier. And he helps Ethan in Vienna without real hesitation, even if it means that he is technically betraying his country because it’s Ethan Hunt who is asking and Benji would follow him into every crazy plan of his without a second thought, especially if he compliments him on his tux. 

Benji meets Ilsa Faust in Vienna and he immediately distrusts and dislikes her. Of course, Benji is a IMF field agent (even if technically, IMF is not a thing anymore) and he knows that his feelings toward Ilsa Faust are logical. She is working for the Syndicate, even if she says she is really a undercover British agent. In this kind of job, you don’t survive if you just trust people, even when they are technically from country who are your allies. That’s how this job works and trusting people blindly will get you kill, it’s lesson one during training. But here is the thing : Benji knows that distrusting Ilsa Faust is rational but he also knows that _his_ distrust of Ilsa Faust isn’t. The truth is, he sees the way Ethan looks at her and he is jealous and that’s definitively not what « rational » means. 

Ethan tries to push him away because he wants to protect him and while Benji appreciates the sentiment and the fact that Ethan cares about him, Benji is not going to leave, because Benji is in love with him and more important, Ethan is his best friend and he will not just leave, not when he needs him the most and so Benji stays and that's the end of it. 

They track Ilsa Faust and yeah, sure, it’s the logical thing to do because they kinda want the same thing but Benji doesn’t like Ilsa because she is pretty and badass and Ethan looks at her like she is the goddamn sun and even worst, she looks like she likes him back and Benji doesn’t understand why he is so jealous because he knows for a fact that he is not the jealous type. It’s probably an Ilsa-specific feeling but Benji can’t understand why. 

Benji changes his mind on Ilsa Faust when he realises that she saved Ethan’s life. Yeah, she uses the defibrillator against him 5 seconds after he decides that she is actually trustworthy but Benji doesn’t care because here is the thing : she didn’t need to save Ethan’s life. She could have let him die down there, his mission was complete and she was in a position where she would win against Benji, which is not saying much in itself because she would beat Benji in every situations but that’s not the point. The point is, going down to save Ethan was a useless risk that she took anyway and it was a stupid move for her because it complicates everything for her and yet, she saved him and for that, Benji decides that Ethan was right to trust her and it’s not some painful electric shock that will be able to change his mind again. That or her very probable implication in his kidnapping by Solomon Lane. In comparison with Ethan’s life? Small details. 

They capture Solomon Lane and then, Ilsa Faust disappears from their life. Benji sees them hug and then, she is gone, they all go back to the US and the IMF comes back and it’s like nothing changed. Ethan is still Ethan and he still hangs out with Benji and Luther and Jane. But Benji sees it in his eyes, Ethan still thinks about Ilsa. Benji does too, for that matter, even if he doesn’t really know why.

It’s very fitting that Ilsa Faust reappears in their life when Lane does. She tries to kill Lane in Parisand it should be a problem for them but it’s not, because no matter how much her mission matters to her, they know she will not hurt them, not on purpose anyway. Ethan knows she will follow them in London, but Ethan trusts her and so does Benji and Luther never met her before, but Ethan trusts her and that’s enough information for Luther. They plan on tricking Walker because he is over confidant and believes he hold all the card when he really doesn’t and the plan almost works, until Erika Sloane cuts off their deal and Walker’s team attacks them. It’s another person shooting their attacker that saves them and Benji is not surprised when this shooter turns out to be Ilsa. After all, Ethan was counting on her following them. 

Kashmir is insane and Benji hopes that no mission will ever be that bad ever again. Julia is there and sure, Benji knew she was alive because Ethan is his best friend but still, he was not expecting that and it complicates things for Ethan and he really doesn’t need that. Then, there is the fact that they have to defuse TWO atomic bombs in a very short amount of time. There is also the fact that Ethan needs to get the detonator for them to defuse said bombs and obviously, Ethan coms stop working so they can’t even talk to him. His coms worked long enough to inform them he somehow ended in a helicopter and is now chasing _another_ helicopter and Benji will one day kill Ethan for making him so worried. And then, Ilsa tells him she found the second bomb and Lane with it, only for her to stop talking in the middle of a sentence and Benji is very worried for her as well, so he runs into the village to find her. Of course when he does find her, she is tied up to a chair and then Lane attacks him and tries to hang him and Ilsa saves him and they prevent the explosion. Ethan almost dies but really nothing new about this. And sure, Benji is in love with Ethan but he will definitively kill him later for making him so worried. 

After that, Ilsa Faust doesn’t disappear. One day, she just shows up at the IMF and just like that, she is a new agent. Well, it was probably more complicated than that, Benji just doesn’t ask. Benji likes that, because Ilsa is a great agent and he trusts her almost as much as he trusts Ethan and it says a lot in itself. She gets to know the team better, because she goes out for drinks with Luther and Benji and Jane. Jane and Ilsa become friends almost immediately and if Benji thought Ilsa was scary on her own, Ilsa and Jane is a far more terrifying combination. Ilsa also turns out to be an Opera fan (not surprising at all) and a video game fan (more surprising) and that’s how Benji and Ilsa start to hang out on their own, mostly to play video games or go to the opera. And they have fun together, they make fun of Ethan a lot, because it's fun for both of them, but they also just genuinely enjoy spending time together, at least, Benji does but Ilsa must too, because she wouldn't do it otherwise. It's hard not to appreciate spending time with Ilsa, because she is a very smart woman but she also has a very British sense of humor that Benji likes a lot and they can talk for hours sometimes and it feels like 5 minutes have passed. She can cry in front of any opera even if she would kill Benji if he ever said that to anyone but Benji can't really make fun of her for that because he is just like that too. She gets agressive and competitive when they play video games but it's always in a playful way and it makes Benji smile. He always feels better after spending time with Ilsa, he feels more relaxed and it's a feeling Benji has only when he is with Ethan, but Benji doesn't think about that too much. 

Of course, Benji is not stupid. Before either of them say anything to the others, he knows Ilsa and Ethan are dating. It’s the way they look at each other when they think no one else is watching, it's so intimate that Benji always feels like he is intruding when he catch one of these glances. It's the way they just can’t keep their hands to themselves and seems to need to touch the other, always a hand on a shoulder or on an arm. It's the way they smile at each other, like they share a secret. It’s so painfully obvious that he really hopes they are not trying to hide it for real, because for spies, they couldn’t be less subtle and it’s embarrassing. And really, Benji knows he is in love with Ethan but also, he is not jealous at all. He adores Ilsa because Ilsa is awesome and they deserve each other. They look good together. They are good for each other. They obviously make each other very happy and that’s all Benji wants. That doesn’t stop him from pining after his best friend though. 

Benji doesn’t know why it takes him so long to realise that he is kinda in love with Ilsa Faust too, but he takes a ridiculous amount of time to figure it out. Sure, he had always been more into guys, but Benji had also always known he was bi, so it’s not like it was some shocking revelation. And Ilsa is amazing, she is smart, she is pretty, she is deadly, the three more important qualities in a person. Benji loves spending time with her and really, he should have seen that way sooner. But no, he finds out when he sees Ilsa and Ethan kissing and after blushing like a teenager and running away, when finally he is out of sight, he realises that he doesn’t know if he wants to be in Ilsa’s place or in Ethan’s place and it just hits him that he kinda wants to be in both of their places and _oh crap he is in love with both of them_. It doesn’t matter though, they are together. It’s just that now, he is going to pine after his best friend and his best friend’s girlfriend. Because his life could not get any more pathetic. 

Going on mission after that is not even weird at all. It’s just normal. And sure, Ethan flirts with him like he is not in a relationship with a person who often can see him or hear him through the coms but Ethan has always been like that with him, so nothing new here, Benji is not even surprised by the fact that dating someone doesn't stop him, even when this someone is as amazing and slightly terrifying as Ilsa. And Ilsa also flirts with him, which is new but it’s probably because she likes to make fun of him when he inevitably blushes because of it, because she never fails to tease him about that. In general, she seems to enjoy teasing him about everything, especially about either his reaction to her flirting or his rection to Ethan's flirting. You know, just normal stuff to do with your totally platonic friends. Benji just ignores Luther when he shakes  his head, looking tired and mumbling things Benji can't hear, like he understands something Benji doesn't. And Benji just ignores the looks Luther and Jane share, looks  of pure desperation, because really, it's best to ignore them. 

After one mission, Ilsa and Ethan invite him for dinner, which happened before, but they invite him to their appartement, which is unusual, but Benji doesn’t read too much into it. They are friends after all. And the dinner is fine, it’s fun and they talk about work and things completely unrelated with work. It’s a nice evening. But then, the meal is over and Benji sees Ilsa and Ethan looking at each other and it looks like they are having a non verbal conversation with each other and Benji starts to feel like the third wheel, which he hates, but then, they both turn to him and it’s Ethan who says « we need to talk » and Benji doesn’t think anything good ever comes after those words.

"We tried to be a little subtle," Ethan continues, "but you don’t really seems to understand us, so we decide to be more direct…"

Ethan seems ready to go on a long monologue about something and Benji sees Ilsa rolling her eyes and then, she looks straight into his eyes and says :

"What Ethan is trying to say very poorly is that we like you."

Benji almost says that he likes them too because they are friends after all but he sees the look of exasperation on Ilsa’s face before he even has the time to open his mouth and she adds :

"Damn, for a smart guy, you can be so dense. I mean, we like you romantically. And sexually. And we want to date you. And we know you like us too because you are not as good at hiding it as you think you are. And we tried to make you understand that for a while now, but you are so oblivious that we had no choice but to be direct."

Benji can feel himself becoming red because this is a dream comes true and it can’t be real. Ethan just smiles and says:

"To be fair, I never noticed until Ilsa told me, so maybe it’s just her who is smarter than us."

"She is definitively smarter than us," Benji adds with a smile.

It makes them smile too and just like that, Benji feels more relaxed. Then, Ethan takes his hand in his and Ilsa takes the other one in hers and Ethan says :

"But it’s true Benji. We like you. I’ve been in love with you for years and I never found the courage to tell you."

And Benji brain is not sure it understands because Ethan just told him he is in love with him and it definitively can’t be real.

"And I have definitively not been in love with you for years, but you are an amazing guy and I love you too," Ilsa says. "And we would really like it if you want to give this a try."

They both look so vulnerable, like they are afraid he would say no to them despite the fact that they know he likes them too. But Benji is not sure he can even say a word so he just nods because he wants that, he wants it so much, he has never wanted anything more in his life. And Ilsa and Ethan smile in front of him and then, Ethan is kissing him and it’s better than he ever imagined because it’s real and Ethan’s lips are warm and soft and not so surprisingly gentle on his. And then, it’s Ilsa who kisses him and her lips are soft too but unlike Ethan, her kisses are not gentle, she kisses him with passion and want and need. The kiss ends too quickly in Benji’s opinion but Ethan and Ilsa get up and without letting go of his hands, they look at their bedroom and then at him, silently asking if he wants to follow them and Benji does, because he would follow them everywhere without a second thought. 

And later that night, when they are all naked in bed, Ilsa on his right and Ethan on his left, in a bed that was definitively not designed for three people, Benji thinks that he has never been happier in his entire life. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys liked it!
> 
> This work was more or less unbeta-ed and english is not my first language, so some mistakes might still be there, if you notice some, let me know please, I'll correct them!
> 
> As always, comments are appreciated :D


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